THE Ospreys have opted against bringing back talisman lock Alun Wyn Jones against Newport Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade tomorrow evening (kick-off 7.30pm).

The 28-year-old, who captained Wales in South Africa in June, is having his game time managed carefully in the build-up to next year's Rugby World Cup.

He watched from the sidelines as his teammates thumped Treviso at the Liberty Stadium last Friday and the Ospreys have decided against bringing back their captain to bolster their inexperienced pack in what is sure to be a bruising derby.

"He won't play this weekend," said forwards coach Chris Gibbes. "We'll see about the week after.

"Al's had a massive work load through the summer and has lots of games coming up. We always try to put the player at the centre of things, and what's best for him at the moment is to make sure he gets the rest he needs."

His absence is a boost for the Dragons and will lead to the visitors heading east with a pack that lost four Lions over the summer – Adam Jones, Richard Hibbard, Ian Evans and Ryan Jones – and features lock/blindside James King as a makeshift openside.

The 24-year-old is covering for Justin Tipuric (shoulder) and Sam Lewis (knee) and is relishing a tussle at the contact area.

"Justin has been helping on little things like rolling off the back of a line-out and on the intricate details in defence," said King, who played openside when making his Test debut in Japan last year.

"Tips is one of our main players at the breakdown so I've had to try and do more work there while making sure it doesn't take away from other parts of my game."

The Dragons have a wealth of back row options and must decide whether to shift Lewis Evans to openside or stick with Nic Cudd, who was man of the match despite the Ospreys winning 20-10 at Judgement Day last season.

"Cudd was a real nuisance when we came up against the Dragons at the Millennium Stadium," said King. "We've looked at it and the challenge will be to take him out of the game."